AS Media Studies

Coursework EvaluationEmily Gover

Our Project

For my media project I decided to do a film opening sequence with two other students. We all took our own share in scripting, filming and editing.

As a group we made a 2 minute film opening titles for a film we made up called ‘Amnesia’.

The clip involves two characters walking followed by a short chase sequence and then a shot of the main character in a dark room after being knocked out by the other character.

Media ConventionsMy media product uses normal

media conventions for it’s genre for example it is a gritty British urban film and so the music is relevant for example we use British grime/ drum and bass. The consume and mise en scene is also relevant to the genre as well as we dressed the characters in hoodies and dark clothing which is associated with the youth in Britain. We tried to stick to most conventions by sticking with the themes and genre and looked to the film ‘Shank’ for influence.

Median Conventions

• To try and challenge the media conventions we didn’t include any dialogue in the opening sequence and didn’t introduce any of the characters names or background information or setting. We did this to create the sense of enigma. Our genre of film often goes against media conventions because the film companies are small that make British films and don’t make Hollywood blockbusters which always stick to conventions.

Presenting Social Groups

Our film is all about youths in Britain in modern times and all characters are stereotypical teenagers. The film was meant to appeal to an audience of working to middle class young adults aged 15-25 all main characters are between these ages who might be able to relate to some of the story lines featured in the film.

Presenting social groupsWe used typical costume related to youths like hoodies and trainers and generally looking a bit scruffy and lazy.The activities they take part in in the opening sequence is also stereotypical as in the opening sequence the main character is shown having a cigarette. There is no dialogue in the opening two minutes but in the rest of the film I would imagine that the characters would speak in a regional accent an in slang.The film is also set in a very scruffy town setting which then portrays that the character is from an un wealthy background.

Characters from ‘Kidulthood’ a film from the same genre as ours in costume dressed like stereotypical teenagers.

Presenting social groups

We also presented the social group using music. We tried to find a piece of music that would appeal to the younger audience watching the film and would seem appropriate to the characters in the film so we used a piece of music from a modern genre.

Presenting social GroupsOur characters seem to fit into the dominant representation of them but only

in their image. To appeal to the audience who are often represented in this negative way themselves the story line should show that they are not all trouble makers like it is shown in the media but fun and intelligent.

VS.

Media InstitutionsWe chose that in our opening sequence that ‘Film 4’ would distribute our film

as it often makes small films. It doesn’t make big Hollywood blockbusters that have a large budget. They make films for a similar age group as well often making films that appeal to a younger audience because the characters are younger and the humour is for a younger generation which is relevant to our film as our film is also for the young adult audience.

Media institutions

• We also chose that it wouldn’t be made by one distributor as it would need more than one company to back it and put money into the project. Instead of having one large company behind it it would have many smaller companies who have invested in it.

Our Audience

• Our film is aimed at young adults from the age 15-25 starting from fifteen as this would probably be the age certificate because the story deals with topics that are unsuitable for an audience any younger.

Our AudienceI think that our film would appeal to a very broad audience male and female

as it is not a closed genre and would be a mix of action and romance with comedy moments. It would appeal to most young people and not just one social class or group of people. As all the characters would be different and most young people would be able to relate to one of the characters.

Our Audience

The audience is broad and I think it is a good choice as people at this age don’t usually have their own home or children and so their income can be spent on luxuries such as the cinema.

I think for our product this is a good audience financially because when you are a small film company you must bring in all the audience you can.

Attracting the audience

We started the film quite relaxed with a balanced equilibrium but then we disrupted it straight away by involving a chase and then the character waking up in a strange place. I think this would attract the audience because they are immediately into the story and already there are already questions that need answering and equilibrium that needs repairing.

Attracting the audience

In our opening sequence you see a clip from the middle of the story chronologically.

Because you will need to see how the disruption is solved after the problem. And you would also what happened before this scene to cause the disruption this way the audience is immediately into the story and hopefully because there are so many questions unanswered they drawn into the story.

Attracting the audience

In our opening sequence we use titles in the form of the actors names this way if the audience were to see an actors name which they were a fan of they would have a positive opinion of the film straight away because they associate that actor with their favourite films.

Attracting the audience

We used cross cutting editing and lots of close ups and very quick shots so then there was a lot going on. The pace was very fast which made the mood quite tense and confusing. We also did it in a way which meant that you couldn’t see the actors face clearly to create enigma.

Attracting the audienceWe also did the last few

seconds of the opening sequence (before the name of the film came up) in very low key lighting with light only coming from one side. This made the scene and atmosphere very mysterious and with only one side of the actors face in the light this often gives us the message they are hiding something, which would draw the audience into the story.

Technology

Technology has been very helpful when making this project. We have used the internet for research in many occasions and have used it to upload work to the internet onto out group blog.

Technology

We also used technology to do the editing with out the ability to edit after filming the film would not have been as sharp and quick and there also would have been problems with continuity.

Preliminary task

Looking back at our preliminary task it is clear that as a group we have progressed. The first task had un necessary effects and editing which doesn’t add to the film clip at all and is irrelevant. The story in the first task is also very dull and un interesting to watch. And their is not enough variety in shots. And the editing is not smooth.

Conclusion

• Overall I think their are elements of the sequence that are really good for example the storyline behind the film is interesting and relevant to our genre and isn’t I ridiculous storyline. The sequence is believable in the shots we took and most clips follow well after one another and their is a lot of variety in shots I think one of the sequences main weaknesses is that their wasn’t enough footage and it would have been more interesting if their was more variety in setting and activities the characters are doing.